Page 45 of Ties of Frost

My face heated again, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about the fact that his words were having that effect.

“How are you so sure? Wyveri aren’t bigger than wyverns, right?”

“No. The one I killed was bigger than me.”

“The one…”

The ice disks jerked to an abrupt stop, and I stumbled forward, nearly losing my footing. But Kyrundar’s boot slid off the edge of his disk. Without thinking, I stretchedacross the small space between us and grabbed his shoulder to steady him. Magic already swirled around his boot and gave him a boost back to level footing. He looked from my hand grasping the fabric of his tunic up to my face with a slow smile.

“I really don’t want to bandage your face if you face-plant on the road.” I released his arm and resolutely faced straight ahead.

“Because it would be a shame to cover up all this handsomeness?”

I snorted but couldn’t come up with a good response while I was stuck on the fact that hewasunfairly handsome.

“When did you kill a wyvern, and how do I not know about it?”

“Why would you know everything I do?”

“Because everyone knows everything you do. I don’t know if you know this, but you’re famous.”

“Ha ha.” I waved ahead of us. “Are we going to start moving again?”

“Not until you tell me the story.”

That wasn’t an idle threat. Kyrundar could be as stubborn as I was. “Fine. I was still in the Academy. It wasn’t an official mission—”

He gasped and moved his ice disk so he was hovering directly in front of me. “You broke a rule! Zidra, I’ve never been so impressed.”

I made a face. “I was going home over a holiday break and took a scenic route through the unpopulated areas of the Avorn Mountains.”

“Why?” Kyrundar scrunched his face like he couldn’t imagine any possible reason for doing something so unnecessary.

“I didn’t want to go home to my unwelcoming family,” I said as carelessly as possible. “I didn’t realize I had trespassed into a wyvern’s territory until it was too late. It took offense, naturally, but wasn’t content with me simply leaving. It was male and unusually aggressive. I think it must have been protecting a family, probably a hatchling too young to fly.” I shrugged. “I did what I had to in order to survive, but I don’t consider it a story worth telling. Taking some hatchling’s father.”

We remained there, hovering on the ice disks and staring at each other in silence for several moments.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Kyrundar murmured. The soft look in his eyes threatened to undo me. “Indomitable, humble, inspiring, kind. You’re…” He shook his head. “Amazing.”

My skin itched under the praise. “Not amazing enough to avoid getting an ice curse embedded in my arm.”

“Amazing enough to survive it.”

Only thanks to Kyrundar’s intervention, but instead I said, “Not if we don’t find Rouven soon.”

His shoulders drooped. “Right. Yes. We need to get moving. Of course.”

Yet as we sped down the road, the wind whistling past my ears, I regretted a little that we could no longer converse.

I wanted to get to Gamnica quickly, but that wouldmean parting ways with Kyrundar…wait. I wrapped my arms around my middle, tucking my suddenly cold hands under my arms.

Did I actuallywantto spend more time with the ice elf I had resented for so long?

The truth trickled in like water finding the cracks in my mental walls.

I didn’t want to leave him.

And that thought scared me more than any void-tainted creature.

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